Devices of this type which include a crank arm capable of being mounted for swiveling about an axis and provided with a pivot which can be engaged by a connecting rod pivotably connected to the crank arm are already known.
When a device of this type is used for controlling a ventilation louver, the connecting rod is fixed against relative rotation with the louver, and the rotational displacement of the louver is controlled by some appropriate means, such as an actuator that acts upon the connecting rod.
In the sense in which it is currently used, the term "connecting rod" is understood to mean generally any connecting device arranged to be connected to a crank arm in order to transmit motion to the arm or receive motion from it. For example, the connecting rod may comprise a rod of an actuator, or an element mounted on the end of a rod of an actuator.
In known devices of this type, the connecting rod and the crank arm are often made of plastic, and the pivot of the crank passes all the way through the body of the connecting rod, through a hole made in the connecting rod. The free end of the pivot, which protrudes from the connecting rod, then receives a retaining element such as a ring or circlip, to prevent the connecting rod and the crank from becoming separated.
This retaining element can be put in place only with a suitable tool, which sometime's presents problems when the connecting rod and the crank must be mounted in situ, especially in an area where access is difficult, as is the case with automobile heating and air conditioning units.
Moreover, if the connecting rod must be separated from the crank for one reason or another, lifting the retaining element generally causes irreparable damage to the pivot, especially if it is made of plastic.